


Situations Change but People Stay the Same

by So_Many_Feelings



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/M, Mentions of Character Death, Mild Gore, Original Character - Freeform, Time Jump, power struggles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2018-04-25
Packaged: 2018-11-08 14:00:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 15,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11083062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/So_Many_Feelings/pseuds/So_Many_Feelings
Summary: How do the delinquents pass the time until they can see each other again? Clarke searches the woods for other nightbloods. Under the bunker the thirteen clans still struggle for dominance. Bellamy and the others on the Ark try to prepare for the next five years while also readjusting to life in space. Everyone is just trying to survive the next five years until the earth is once again safe to live on.





	1. Bellamy-Day 1

**Author's Note:**

> Bellamy and the others all struggle to adjust to their new environment as they set up their ship.

As soon as they had oxygen Raven put them to work. Emori and Murphy were responsible for finding for finding any spare technology, and apparently the couple had spent quite a bit of time scavenging during their time away from Arcadia. She hadn't mentioned it yet but Bellamy knew she was already starting to plan a way for them to return home as soon as it was safe on Earth. Becca and Ali might have shaken her confidence a bit, but the girl was still a genius.

And of course Monty was in charge of starting to grow food, he used to live on Farm Station so he seemed liked the obvious choice. Harper went with him, although Bellamy suspected she'd be more concerned about looking after Monty, who was still reeling from Jasper's death. Although if Bellamy was being honest with himself, Jasper hadn't been interested in living ever since they got back from Mount Weather. The happy and carefree kid he'd been had vanished, and he was replaced by an angry husk of a person. Still, Bellamy knew that they had all lost people they cared about and everyone would have to find their own way to cope with their emotions. He would have to find a way to cope with his emotions.

A part of him still expected to see Clarke waiting for him by the engine room instead of Echo. For so long they had been a team, even when they didn't see eye to eye on a problem, and he wasn't sure if he was capable of running everything by himself. Before they'd left, when she was trying to reassure him that he had the skills to lead their people, she seemed so certain of her death. He'd refused to listen to her, of course, because she was Clarke, and as far as Bellamy was concerned Clarke needed to survive. The only reason he was able to convince himself to leave her behind is he knew that's what she would've wanted. The choice that she would've made.

* * *

"So you just have to make sure the water filtration system has a balanced pH level, not too high or too low. Got it?" Bellamy struggled to explain to Echo, who just nodded grimly. The Grounder was still very clearly unsure about her role in this new society they were trying to create. It seemed as though she still saw a divide between Skaikru and the Grounders, but that mindset would just hurt her. The only other former Grounder on the Ark was Emori, who appeared to be more eager to leave her life within the Grounder community. It was just Echo who needed the time to adjust. Good thing they had five years.

He continued to show her around the engine room, teaching her about all of the machines that she would be working with while they were all on the new Ark. Bellamy couldn't say he trusted Echo, she'd betrayed him too many times since he freed her from Mount Weather, but he'd also seen how devoted she'd been to the Ice Nation. If she started to feel that protective over the group of misfits on the ship, that would just increase their odds of survival.

Almost as if she was reading his thoughts, Echo's face broke into a devilish smirk. "Are you sure about trusting me with all this?" she asked. She still seemed wary, but Bellamy took the attempt at a joke as a promising sign. Maybe they'd survive after all.

"Guess I don't have a choice," he replied, "besides, there's no way you'd make it up here all by yourself."

* * *

The first couple of days in space had been hectic, there was so much to do that there was no time for anyone to take a break and process what had happened. So when all of the necessities had been set up Bellamy declared that everyone had to stop and rest for awhile. “Hey Reyes, what if we let them relax for an hour or two?” he suggested. Raven didn't protest, mainly because at that point the entire group was exhausted. Although Bellamy noticed that she took a lot longer to make her way down to the main hall where everyone else had congregated.

In the days leading up to the arrival of the Praimfaya nobody had been able to sleep. There had been so many preparations to make for the bunker and then the rocket that every waking moment was valuable, could make the difference between life and death. Besides, even if there had been time for a quick nap the end of the world made it kind of hard to sleep peacefully. So when Bellamy woke with a start, unaware that he'd even dozed off, he couldn't help the feeling of relief that seized up within his chest when he saw that the others were sleeping too. It had been too long since any of them had felt comfortable enough to be this unguarded, to have to focus on obstacle after obstacle.

In the corner of the room Murphy and Emori were huddled next to each other, and it was one of the first times Bellamy had seen Murphy so open with another person. He was clutching Emori’s mutated hand like a lifeline, his other arm wrapped lazily around her head as if he was trying to protect her from the ship’s hard concrete floor.

Meanwhile Monty had somehow managed to fall asleep sitting up against the wall, Harper’s head in his lap. Her hair cascaded over his lap, as if Monty had been trying to braid her hair before they both succumbed to exhaustion.

Even Echo appeared relatively at ease as she was sprawled out on the couch, no longer the fierce warrior she always presented herself as.

_“Who_ _we_ _are_ _and_ _who_ _we_ _need_ _to_ _be_ _to_ _survive_ _are_ _two_ _very_ _different_ _things.”_ Bellamy remembered when he said that to Clarke, to convince her that whatever decisions they made to survive would be justified, that they would have the ability to make up for their choices when there was finally time for them to live. He had changed so much since he said that to her. After everything that had happened at Mount Weather, with Pike, at the last conclave, he knew the ends couldn't always justify the means.

But maybe now there was a chance that they could create a life for themselves, no longer burdened by the constant need to survive. A life that Clarke would've wanted for them.

“So how long do you think it will take for everything to go back to shit?”

Raven sudden appearance had startled him, but then Bellamy noticed the playful gleam in her eye. And while she was still tinkering with the small metal box she held in her hand, she no longer had the same frantic energy she'd possessed when they first boarded the ship. He figured if Raven Reyes felt alright about their chances of survival then he should too.

“Actually, I think we're gonna make it.”

“Well then, I guess I'll have to start planning for the return trip. I think we'll have some friends who will be happy to see us.”

 


	2. Clarke-Day 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke manages to survive, only to realize that she'll be by herself for the next five years.

There were times where she still couldn't believe she was alive. Clarke had seen how certain her mother was about her vision. At first she thought her mom was just being paranoid about her work with the nightblood, too afraid to test her work in her only child. Then Clarke’s mom finally told her how she'd seen her dying of radiation poisoning, and Clarke couldn't help but notice it was the same type of visions Raven had been having about the rocket. 

Then she ran out of time trying to turn the Ark’s power back on. Clarke knew that she wasn't going to make it back to the lab in time, that all she could hope to do was save her friends. For awhile she wasn't even sure she could do that.

After she finally got the satellite to start working all Clarke could remember was trying to run from the Praimfaya to get back to the lab. When the mask on her suit cracked open she was consumed by panic, unable to even register the smell of the forest burning down around her. By the time she made it back to the lab Clarke could see black seeping into her vision, and she if the flames had followed her to finish her off. Then she felt her legs buckle underneath her as she fell to the floor.

* * *

Clarke didn't know how long she was out for, but she assumed it hadn't been that long since the clock in the center of the lab still had the same date on it. Her head felt too heavy when she tried to lift it, and the rest of her body felt hollow from her lack of strength. Just getting herself to stand up took a lot of effort. 

The first thing Clarke tried to do when she woke up was radio the Ark. She knew that she wouldn't be able to contact the bunker anymore, but she'd hoped the radio on the Ark was still working.

“Bellamy, are you there? Can you hear me? Is everyone okay? It's Clarke, I'm still alive down here. I guess my mom’s serum worked after all.” Clarke couldn't help the relieved giggle that escaped her lips. A few hours ago she thought she was going to die, and then suddenly she was given a second chance to live. She just needed to find a way to survive the next five years, to meet up with the people on the Ark and in the bunker.

“Hello? Anyone there? Please pick up. Please pick up. I just need to know that you're okay,” Clarke's wobbled, “I just need to know that you're safe.”

Different scenarios raced through her head. Clarke saw her friends running out of oxygen because she didn't turn the power on in time. She saw them getting knocked off course and getting lost in the deep abyss of space. There were so many ways their plan could've gone wrong, even Raven had been uncertain about their chances of survival. She suddenly had no idea whether or not her friends survived their journey to the Ark and it terrified her.

* * *

Although Clarke was too practical to let herself become lost in her grief. After giving herself a few moments to regroup, she didn't allow herself to wonder about the safety of her friends. She didn't know how long she would be trapped in the lab before it would be safe for her to go out and hunt, and she’d been worried about running out of food. The kitchen had been running low on supplies when they were planning their escape. Clarke knew she'd have to be strict about rationing her food in order to survive.

As time passed Clarke became more and more aware of how lonely she felt. It was the most isolated she’d been since she left Arcadia after the events of Mount Weather. Even then Clarke would be able to occasionally stop at Niylah’s trading post to talk with her. She wasn't sure how she would handle being completely by herself. 

“Raven I hope you fix that radio soon.”

* * *

That first night Clarke didn't even bother trying to sleep. She was too preoccupied with concerns about what the next five years could bring.

There had been so much tension between the Grounders and the people of Arcadia. What if Octavia and Indra couldn't keep the peace, would people start to turn on Kane and Jaha? On her mom?

During her time on earth Clarke had grown as a leader, not just of the 100, but of Skaikru. She knew why Kane had agreed to Octavia’s terms, it was better than letting a massacre happen in a last resort to save Arcadia. Clarke didn't want to think about how the people with loved ones on the other side of the bunker would react, how they would lash out at the people they felt were responsible. That could lead to absolute chaos, something that they could afford at the moment.

Next she thought of her friends on the Ark. She thought of Bellamy’s protective nature, how she knew he would unfairly blame himself for leaving her behind. She thought of how Raven and Monty were always the geniuses saving everyone else. She thought of Murphy, Emori, and Echo, how they were all so determined to survive. 

They were all skilled in their own way, had different ways to contribute to life on the Ark. Clarke had to hope that they would realize they'd need to help each other to survive.


	3. Octavia-Day 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Octavia struggles with her new position as a leader while conflict between the Grounders and the Arcadians remains unresolved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear that after this chapter there will be a lot more plot and a lot less background information.

_“If we_ _stand together, if we become one Kru, then from the ashes we will rise.”_ She had no idea what she was doing, but she knew she could not show weakness to the people she was suddenly responsible for.

Octavia had never been a natural leader. A warrior, sure, that's why all of the Grounder clans had been willing to follow her she won the conclave, but she knew she wasn't Bellamy or Clarke.

Indra had offered to help her lead, so had Marcus and Abby, but at the time all Octavia wanted to talk her brother again.

* * *

She recalled the feeling of her heart pounding when the sound of Bellamy’s voice faded from the radio, no longer able to know whether or not her brother was safe.

She'd spent so much time being angry with him. Ever since they'd gotten off the Dropship it seemed like something had shifted between the two of them. At first Octavia had been annoyed with how overprotective Bellamy was when she finally had the chance to be around other people, something she'd never experienced when it had just been them and their mother in their room.

Then, for awhile, it felt as if they'd reached a new sort of peace. Bellamy definitely wasn't thrilled about the idea of his little sister learning how to fight, but it helped him trust her to take care of herself. It showed him that she didn't need to be guarded by Atom, Murphy, or anyone else that he'd sent to watch over her while he went on his adventures with Clarke.

But when Lincoln died there appeared to be no way to salvage her relationship with Bellamy. She saw Pike aim that gun at his head and after that all she could feel was rage, all she'd wanted to do was lash out at everyone even remotely responsible for Lincoln’s death. Pike, Bellamy, even herself.

The only reason she put her quest for revenge aside was the fact A.L.I.E was trying to take over the world. Even then, Octavia killed Pike at the first chance she got. While Octavia could admit she regretted the time she spent shutting Bellamy out and her decision to become Ronan’s assassin, she wouldn't pretend to feel guilty about stabbing Pike. She knew that both Bellamy and Kane were worried about the path she would go down after giving in to all of her anger and becoming so callous about death and murder, but in a twisted way killing Pike had helped her find peace.

Octavia felt like an outsider whenever she was with Skaikru or the Grounders, and while she knew her mother and brother loved her, they also couldn't hide the truth that she was a burden to them. Lincoln was the first person to make her feel not only wanted, but like he needed her as well. The only reason he died was because Pike was cruel enough to take advantage of Lincoln’s selflessness.

The end of the world forced her to put things into perspective. For all the terrible things Bellamy had done since they landed on earth, he had always been driven by his desire to protect her, and Octavia was finally able to understand that.

She just wished she had the time to tell him that, to truly thank him for everything he'd done for her.

* * *

“How long do you think we have until the infighting starts?” Octavia asked Indra and Kane. It was no secret that Skaikru had tried to shut all of the other out of the bunker, and as a result the Grounders were all on high alert in case they tried to plan anything else.

Kane had already told her about Jaha’s ill-fated plan to disrupt the lottery system and rise up against the twelve other clans. Apparently he felt it wasn't right for the Arcadians to have to sacrifice the majority of their people just like the rest of the Grounders had been forced to. Octavia couldn't help but find it ironic that the man who was alright with floating so many people on the Ark, including her mother, was suddenly so concerned with the idea of sacrificing people for the sake of survival.

The defeated sigh that Kane gave her wasn't exactly reassuring. “Right now it feels like we'll be able to pull this off is if we keep the Arcadians isolated from everyone else.”

“Trikru is aware of how necessary cooperation will be for the sake of survival,” Indra stated, “and so is the rest of the coalition. Everything else will depend on Skaikru.”

It was clear to Octavia that Indra was starting to become defensive. While she could understand her mentor’s frustration over the actions of Jaha and his followers. But there wasn't time to focus on past anymore, there was too much at stake.

“Kane, would that actually be possible? Not separating everyone from the Grounders, but maybe just a few people who would be more likely to cause trouble, like Jaha and some of his supporters.”

Kane seemed apprehensive about her plan, but it was the only way Octavia could imagine keeping the peace between the thirteen clans. No matter how much she'd tried to preach about unity and the need to work together in her speech, Octavia wasn't naive enough to think that the end of the world would magically fix everything between the clans. As far as she was concerned, nothing could do that.

“I'll talk to Abby and see what can be done to reign Jaha in. We can figure out a more concrete plan in the morning.”

All Octavia could think about was how she was going to spend the next five years struggling to control this entire mess. She didn't know it she had it in her, even with the help of the people around her.


	4. Clarke-Day 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Clarke goes out in search of food she makes an interesting discovery.

“Hey Bellamy. Or Raven. Or anyone else who's listening. I'm not sure if you guys are still trying to set up the radio on the Ark, but I figured I'd try to check in on you guys, just in case...”

The reality was that Clarke was starting to give up on hearing from her friends on the Ark. There were so many more important things for them to focus on and Clarke knew that Raven wouldn't be concerned over whether or not the radio was working so that she could talk to her friends. Even if she did think that she was starting to lose her mind from the lack of human interaction.

“Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I'll be out for most of the day. Most of the kitchen’s stock is gone and I want to pick up some food before I'm fully out of stuff to eat. Wish me luck, it's been awhile since I've had to go on a hunting trip without you guys. But I'll talk to you again soon, okay?”

After a couple of weeks spent in the lab Clarke realized she finally had to venture out into the world to find more food and water. She knew that there would likely be a lack of resources as a result of the Praimfaya. But as far as she knew there weren't any other survivors besides the people on the Ark and in the bunker, so at least she wouldn't have to compete for the supplies with anyone else.

Although there were other reasons for Clarke to be nervous about her daytrip. Her suit had completely run out of oxygen, but the forest could've been filled with smoke, which would make it dangerous for her to be outside.

Clarke also remembered what it was like when she'd been out hunting during her self imposed exile, how vicious the animals would act. She wasn't sure how the radiation had affected the animals that had managed to survive, she just hoped they wouldn't be anything like Pauna, the mutated gorilla who had tried to kill her and Lexa.

But if she wanted to survive she had to take those risks. At least that's what Clarke told herself as she walked out the door.

* * *

When the 100 had first landed on earth, the artist in Clarke had loved how colorful everything was. Compared to the muted gray and beige tones that were commonly found on the Ark, the bright blue and green shades of earth seemed so vibrant.

Growing up as a part of the privileged class on the Ark meant that Clarke had access to the sparse amount of art supplies that was still available in space. For the most part she used pencil and charcoal to create her pictures, but she'd never known what to when she had paint at her disposal. Clarke hadn't wanted to waste her meager supplies painting anything on the Ark. So she was admittedly a little disappointed when she no longer had the supplies to paint the landscape of the woods, the way the butterflies lit up the forest at night, or how the sun danced across the faces of her friends.

The earth that she saw when she left the lab was the complete opposite of the earth she saw that day she stepped off the Dropship. Everything looked devoid of life, like a warped version of the earth that she'd started to consider her home. There was no more grass on the ground, and none of the trees she saw had been spared from the fire, there were scorch marks everywhere. 

Even the sky had yet to recover from Praimfaya, it remained the harsh orange hue that it had been the last time Clarke had seen it. “Let's just get this over with” she muttered to herself, already feeling pessimistic about the day.

* * *

All of her old hunting spots were vacant. Clarke knew that there wouldn't be as many animals in the woods anymore, but she still thought a few things would've survived. They did after the first wave of radiation.

So the minutes she spent walking through the forest turned into hours as she watched the sun sink lower and lower into the sky. As the daylight dwindled so did her chances of finding food, but Clarke didn't want to go back to the lab without at least a bit more supplies. She knew she wouldn't last long without it. 

* * *

Finally, just when Clarke was about to admit defeat and return to the lab, she saw a leaf poking out of a cave. The bright green was such a stark contrast to the dead atmosphere that Clarke couldn't help but feel lured into the cave.

Upon further investigation she found that the plant was just a fern, but she figured that any sign of life was a good thing. At that point she was so desperate for food she was even willing to drown out the voice in her head that warned her to be careful whatever could be lurking inside the cave.

However all Clarke found on the inside was a small collection of mushrooms. She quickly sorted through all of them to determine which ones would be safe to take back, realizing that if she didn't leave soon she wouldn't have enough daylight to make it back to the lab without running out of daylight. She figured that now that she'd found the cave she could always come back later to restock her food supply. 

She was zipping up her bag when a sudden flash of light caught her eye. Clarke moved towards it and picked up a small silver knife. She would've assumed someone had left it behind in the cave before the Praimfaya if there hadn't been fresh blood on the blade.

* * *

"I'm not sure how, you guys, I just know that there's somebody else who survived. That I'm not alone."

All Clarke could talk about for the rest of the day was all of her different theories. Clarke was pretty sure if her friends could've actually heard her on the radio they'd have stopped listening to her hours ago.

The thought was reassuring to Clarke, who had been dreading the five years of loneliness that she'd been sentenced to. She already felt the days of solitude taking a toll on her mental state. Without anyone else to worry about taking care of it became difficult for Clarke to motivate herself to get up on a daily basis. There were days where she wouldn't wake up until mid-afternoon and then go to sleep around dawn.

And as much as she wanted to act like she was still trying to contact the Ark for the sake of practicality, she had to admit to herself that it had more to do with her needing someone to talk to.

Clarke knew if anyone else was out there she had to find them.


	5. Octavia-Day 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Grounders grow suspicious when Skaikru remains separated from the rest of the bunker and Octavia finds an unexpected new ally.

“Alright, it currently looks like the Farm Station will be able to reach their quota for the amount of food we’ll need to grow for this first year. Of course everyone will still be expected to follow the ration guidelines that will be set in place. That means everyone over the age of ten will receive meals a day that will offer as much nutritional value as is possible…”

Octavia had nothing against Abby, despite Kane’s increasing importance in her life, Octavia had never interacted much with Clarke’s mom. Never come to view her as some sort of surrogate mother like Raven or Jasper had.

But when she listened to the older woman update Skaikru on all of the bunker’s new regulations it felt like she was back on the Ark. As if she was once again the weak and insecure girl who had no control over what happened to her or the people she cared about.

The Grounders might have grown to respect her as a skilled warrior, but around Abby, Jaha, and all of the others who she'd had to hide from for sixteen years, she began to everything.

“You know Abby would've been more than happy for you to make all of these announcements yourself, right?”

Octavia hadn't noticed that Kane had managed to maneuver himself out of his spot at the front of the crowd gathered to listen to Abby. Still, his presence was appreciated.

“Yeah, cause they just love taking orders from me.” She didn't mean to sound so disgruntled, but Octavia had hoped that, with Jaha and his followers separated from the Grounders, there would be more unity between the thirteen clans.

Or at the very least that she'd feel comfortable acting as a leader in front of Skaikru.

Kane, who sensed her frustration, placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Give them time, Octavia. We went from a dying space station to a dying planet, and there have been so many sacrifices along the way. They will cling to what is familiar.”

“Are you sure you aren't just saying that because it's Abby?” 

Things might have been tense between the two at the moment, Abby not ready to forgive Kane for disregarding her desire to remain with the people cast out of the bunker, but Kane’s proud grin showed that he still had a lot of respect for Abby.

From the corner of her eye Octavia was able to see a familiar figure dart through the crowd. She saw Niylah hesitate in front of her, unsure of whether or not she could interrupt the conversation.

“I promise I'll talk to you later, okay Kane?”

* * *

Octavia left the assembly, weaving her way through the crowd, motioning for Niylah to follow her out into an abandoned corridor. Once she was sure they were alone, Octavia began to question her. “What was it you needed to talk to me about?”

The tall blonde still acted pretty nervous around Octavia, even after she'd secured her a spot in the bunker. Never looked Octavia in the eyes when she spoke, always seemed to believe she was an unwanted presence. Whatever had happened had to be pretty big to cause Niylah to seek out Octavia.

Not that Octavia could really blame Niylah for her standoffish behavior. Her relationship with Clarke had caused Trikru to disown her, but she still wasn't viewed as a member of Skaikru. That's why in the end there had been no one interested in saving her from Praimfaya. 

In a way Octavia could sympathize with the other girl who stood in front of her. They were both stuck between two different groups, one that had abandoned them and one that they might've never truly belong to. Maybe that's why she'd been prompted to give Niylah one of the bunker spots.

“Some of my old customers mentioned that their clan leaders are nervous about how Skaikru is still remaining separate from everyone else. They were afraid that they might be planning something and I didn't know what to tell them.”

“Wait, the Grounders are going to you for information? I thought you were done with them after they clumped you in with the rest of Skaikru.”

“Well now that we've all been saved from the end of the world they all seem much more willing to talk to me. Besides, a lot of the people here know me from my father's trading post, so they trust me. Or at least see me as a person they can go to for information.”

“Then you can tell anyone who asks that nothing is going on, it's just that a lot of the members of Skaikru happen to be working together.”

Niylah looked unconvinced. “Why does that conveniently include Jaha and all of the others who tried to overthrow the bunker?”

Octavia hesitated for a moment, questioning whether or not she should tell anyone else her plan. But she wanted to trust Niylah, so she took a chance. “Between you and me, I decided to keep them away from the Grounders. I figured it would lessen the possibility of any fights happening.”

Niylah’s brow furrowed in concern. “Are you sure that's a wise plan? We have almost five years left in the bunker, you can't hide Skaikru from the rest of the clans for that entire time. It would be better to teach them how to work with each other, would it not?”

Octavia tried to hide her frustration. Niylah wasn't the first person to question her decisions as a leader, and she wouldn't be the last.

“Would you rather I let Jaha go on a anti-Grounder tirade in the middle of the bunker?”

Then it was Niylah’s turn to grow defensive, clearly caught off guard by Octavia’s sudden change in demeanor. “I'm just saying that you should be careful. The more you try to isolate Jaha and his followers, the more suspicious the rest of the clans will grow. Besides, you have to admit that Skaikru doesn't make the best choices when left to their own devices.”

And with that, the blonde Grounder left Octavia alone in the empty hallway, her advice echoing in the young leader's mind.


	6. Bellamy-Day 51

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy struggles without Clarke as his co-leader, but develops a new bond with Raven.

It was Murphy who found the stash of alcohol.

  
They had always teased him, called him a cockroach, for his unique ability to survive any seemingly deadly situation he'd been thrown into. Although upon further consideration, Bellamy couldn't help but think that Murphy was like a bloodhound. Willing to do anything, tear through any obstacle or opponents, if it helped him reach his goals.

  
And in this case, that goal happened to be finding a bunch of beer and rum.

  
“Does this mean we can actually have some fun tonight?” Harper asked, a hopeful smile gracing her face.

  
Everyone turned to look at Bellamy and Raven. Lately everyone went to them for instructions.

  
Bellamy didn't even have to think about it. Everyone had been working hard to make sure that the Ark was up, running, and able to support them for the next five years. Of course they had earned a break.

  
“I think we've earned a night off. What about you Reyes?”

  
“Well I'm never one to turn down free liquor, but I do still expect everyone to work their asses off tomorrow.”

  
Everyone agreed to Raven’s terms, and Bellamy opened up a portion of the bottles, ready for a night of fun and relaxation to begin.

  
* * *

  
“I just can't believe Emori could take so many shots,” Raven commented, “She somehow managed to out drink me and Murphy. Are we sure he didn't let her win?”

  
“You're just bitter you lost Reyes!” Bellamy chuckled.

  
At that point they were alone in the Ark’s cafeteria. The others had all stumbled back to their own rooms, leaving Bellamy and Raven to clean up the mess that they'd made.

  
Raven was not as amused as he was to find that they'd been abandoned.

  
“This is what happens when you become the parents of a group of unruly teenagers,” he reminded her, “You get stuck cleaning up a lot of their messes.”

  
It was an undisputed fact by that point that that's what they were. The leaders of their little motley crew. A position that was entirely new to Raven, but familiar for Bellamy. The only thing that was different was his co-leader.

  
Bellamy had a hard time thinking about whether or not he'd started to treat Raven like Clarke’s replacement. He saw a lot of similarities between the two young women. They were both intelligent, stubborn, and natural leaders.

  
However, Raven and Clarke had led two different lives. Clarke and Bellamy’s different upbringings had initially caused them to fight about practically everything, but over time they'd grown to value how their varied opinions helped them make decisions.

  
Raven was like him. She grew up knowing what it was like to go without food for days at a time. How it felt to wish for any life other than your own after hours of grueling work.

  
Together the two of them reached decisions fairly quickly. Whenever they did Bellamy couldn't help but wonder if they made the right choice. The choice that Clarke would've made.

  
* * *

  
Bellamy didn't know what made him do it.

  
Maybe it really was just the alcohol that messed with his mind, made him think things, made him do things that made him feel like a different person.

  
Or perhaps he'd been thinking about Clarke too much. Bellamy knew he'd never dealt with his grief particularly well, it would make sense for it to push him to do something stupid yet again.

  
He'd kissed Raven. Leaned forward until the space between them was gone, only numbly aware of what he was doing. Where his hands cupped the back of Raven’s face and how their chests were pressed so close together that he could feel her heartbeat thundering against his chest.

  
It was Raven who put a stop to everything. “Are you sure you wanna do this again Blake?” she asked.

  
He wasn't sure. Actually, that wasn't true. Bellamy was sure that going down that road with Raven again was a bad idea, he just didn't know if he was strong enough to ignore the voice in his head, the one that constantly reminded him of how lonely he felt. How much he wanted to feel close to someone again.

  
Raven noticed the hesitation and moved a few inches away from him.

  
“How about we just wait here awhile, okay?”

  
He nodded dumbly, unsure of how to talk to Raven about everything that was going on inside his head.

  
Bellamy wanted to apologize for the fact that he'd possibly ruined the friendship between them all for the sake of his own comfort. He'd just needed something, anything, to get rid of the feeling of emptiness that had been gnawing at the pit of his stomach ever since they'd returned to the Ark.

  
And ever since they'd left Clarke behind.

  
“She tried to warn me. Gave this big speech on how I'm a great leader, but she needed me to learn how to think with my head as well as my heart. It's like she knew she was going to die, and I just refused to listen. Didn't want to imagine a world where she wasn't by my side.”

  
They sat in silence for awhile. She wasn't particularly good at comforting people and he wasn't all that great at being comforted either.

  
Finally, Bellamy asked the question that had been lingering since the start of their little space adventure. “What do you think Clarke would've done if she’d been with us?”

  
“I don't know. I try not to think about things like that anymore. If you spend all your time focusing on the things that could've happened you'll drive yourself crazy. And you know she wouldn't have wanted that.”

  
“Then what do we do now?”

  
“The same thing we always do. Survive.”

  
* * *

  
Deep down Bellamy knew Raven would never be Clarke, that should never even try to turn Raven into anyone other than the person she already was.

  
But whenever she had the same determined look in her eye that Clarke used to get when they were up against a problem that seemed impossible to solve, it made him miss the feeling of being part of a team. Having a partner in crime.

  
He remembered telling Clarke that he had her to be the head to his heart. Looking back on the pained expression on her face she understood before he did that that wouldn't always be an option.

  
But maybe someday Raven could be that for him.

  
Of course they wouldn't have exactly the same relationship that he'd had with Clarke, but he thought they could make a pretty good team.

  
Bellamy moved from his seat on the floor, and when he did he caught a glimpse of earth from the ship’s window. He hoped Clarke would understand.


	7. Octavia-Day 66

Octavia had been walking through one of the corridors when a young boy rammed into the back of her leg, nearly knocking her off balance.

He slowly shuffled away from her, his face flushed red from either all the running or embarrassment.

“Hey buddy, do me a favor and be a bit more careful when you're running around the bunker. I wouldn't want you to get hurt or lost.”

The boy nodded his head in agreement, yet still didn't seem comfortable talking to her. Octavia did have a council meeting that she needed go to, but she didn't want to leave the young boy to take care of himself.

“My name is Octavia, can you tell me what your name is?”

At the mention of her name the boy’s soft features hardened, which made Octavia’s chest tighten. Ever since she'd made the decision to have all of the clans share the bunker she had received that same look from several members of Skaikru who were angry with her, but she'd never seen that look on the face of someone so young before.

“Or can you tell me who you're staying with?”

Octavia knew that the chances that the little boy's parents were still alive were slim, Clarke and Bellamy's list had been pretty selective about who got to live, which was likely why he appeared to be so hostile towards her. 

Whoever he was living with probably had frequently talked about her, about how she was the reason his parents were dead.

The boy looked like he was about to refuse to answer when suddenly thunderous footsteps echoed through the hallway.

“Hold on Ethan, I need you to wait for me!”

Octavia recognized the voice right away.

Although she had only met him on a handful of occasions, his deep and commanding voice was one that she would know anywhere. 

She heard it on her family's radio when she was still a small and defenseless girl and he was the most powerful man on the Ark.

When she and the rest of the 100 had been on the Dropship, giving them a half-hearted speech about how they needed to work together to survive. His image illuminated on the screen of the Dropship, which showed him sitting comfortably in his office on the Ark, unable to notice the fearful protests of the one hundred teenagers who had landed on earth unsure of whether or not they would die.

The day her mother died, though, is the memory that sticks with her the most. Octavia would never forget how helpless she felt when the guards held her back while he announced that her mother was to be floated for the crime of keeping Octavia alive. He had sounded so rehearsed and detached, as if he was so used to sentencing people to death that it no longer phased him.

The Jaha that came racing down the hallway looked nothing like the stern man from Octavia’s memories.

Although his face betrayed the fact that he was worn out, there was a lightness in his eyes that hadn't been there before. Probably the result of no longer being responsible for a group of over 1,000 people.

Octavia tried not to envy his sudden lack of responsibilities. Besides, it was clear that Ethan was keeping him busy.

Jaha, who had been completely focused on finding Ethan, finally noticed that the young boy was still glaring at Octavia.

“Alright Ethan,” he said uneasily, “I think it's about time we go back home.”

The young boy didn't argue with Jaha, but he did turn around one last time to look at Octavia, the accusatory look on his face searing itself into her memory.


	8. Bellamy-Day 80

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry I haven’t been writing as much the past few months. Between school and work I haven’t had a ton of time to write for fun, but I’m hoping that during break I’ll have more time to write. I'm going to try to have this story done before the season 5 premiere, but if not I'll try to finish it soon after.

“Good news Bellamy,” Raven smirked, “now that everything seems to be up and running on the Ark I finally have time to fix that blasted radio.”

“Thanks Raven.”

Bellamy realized it was probably his fault that Raven felt so pressured to fix the radio. He knew it couldn’t be easy listening to him constantly worrying about Octavia. 

It’s not that he didn’t think his sister had the potential to be a great leader if she wanted to, but Bellamy knew that Octavia was never the type of person who would ordinarily seek out a leadership position. 

Although Bellamy was able to rationalize that she had Kane, Indra, and Abby to turn to if she needed help, he was still her older brother. He needed to know that she was safe.

“How long do you think it will take you to fix?”

“Hopefully not too long, but I’ll let you know when it’s done.” 

***

“Bellamy you need to hear this!” Raven shouted from her makeshift lab. 

“What’s up, did you get the radio to work again?”

“Sort of. Everything on our side is working, so we can hear everything from the radios that are still on earth. The main problem is that something messed up the satellite connection down there so they apparently can’t hear anything we’re saying from our radio.”

“How’d you figure that out?” 

“Listen to this” Raven said with a massive grin plastered on her face.

“Like I said, there’s not much going on right here Bellamy” the familiar voice from the radio reported. Even though the radio was slightly staticy Bellamy could still tell it was Clarke. Bellamy experienced the flash of guilt that he normally did, but he also felt hopeful for the first time in a long time.

Somehow Clarke had managed to survive Praimfaya. If she could do that then they could wait it out in space for the next few years.

“I still have enough food in the forest so hopefully my food supply won’t run out for at least another year or two. After that I’ll need to figure something else out, but I’ll find a way. We somehow always find a way.”

Somehow they always did.

“May we meet again” he said to the radio, completely aware that Clarke wouldn’t be able to hear him back.


	9. Clarke-Day 83

The more Clarke searched her surroundings the more signs of life she was able to find. 

At first it had just been the knife. Then she found footprints at the pond where she’d started fishing. 

When she’d first arrived on earth she would have been hesitant to eat anything that had been exposed to radiation, but now she needed any food she could get her hands on. Besides, if she had been able to survive Praimfaya she should be able to make it through a few years of questionable seafood.

The footprints she found led back to the same cave she’d found the knife in. Clearly someone else had managed to survive. What Clarke didn’t know was how a Nightblood had managed to hide from them when they were trying to defeat A.L.I.E. 

Titus had made it sound like there were no Nightbloods left except for Luna.

Making sure to hide her own footprints, Clarke decided to wait in the cave. Whoever this person was, she hoped she could convince them that it would be more useful for them to work together rather than fight each other for resources. 

Scanning the cave to try to get an idea of who was living there, Clarke noticed that the knife she’d found the last time was gone. In its place was a pile of bones. 

Clarke was so busy studying the bones that she didn’t hear anyone enter the cave.

“What are you doing in here?” the person behind her asked.

Yet the voice wasn’t as hostile as Clarke had been fearing, instead it was quite timid. When Clarke turned around she saw why.

The owner of the cave was a young girl.


	10. Octavia-Day 92

“Are you aware you have a meeting with the former clan leaders in ten minutes?” Indra asked Octavia as she tried to spar with Niylah. 

“Unfortunately I am” Octavia snapped back as she dodged a kick from Niylah. “Let me guess, there’s no chance they’ll let me reschedule.”

“You can’t keep putting this off forever Octavia” Indra reprimanded her. “The situation between Skaikru and the rest of the clans is still tense and we need to find a solution. We’re stuck down here for five years with a limited supply of resources, at this point it’s only a matter of time before a fight breaks out.”

Octavia let out a groan of frustration. She knew Indra was right, but she still felt so out of place as a leader. She’d won the Conclave not just because of her skills as a warrior, but also because she’d had help from Roan and Illian. That didn’t necessarily make her a qualified leader.

***

The leaders of the former thirteen clans were waiting for Octavia when she walked into the room. As usual, most of the people in the room looked like they tolerated her presence because knew they needed to. 

Kane, however, was at least one familiar face. 

“I take it we all know why we’re here today” Octavia stated. “We need to find a way for all of our clans to work together. I didn’t decide to share this bunker so we could continue to have the same arguments that we had on the ground. I did it because I believe that the only way for us to survive is to work together. If we can all contribute to the survival of the bunker we will make it through these next five years, but that means we can’t be fighting with each other along the way.” 

“She’s right,” Kane agreed, “we’re still living as though it’s Grounders versus Arkadians. That’s not going to work anymore.”

“How do you propose we do that?” one of the former leaders, Ivan, asked. 

“I don’t know,” Octavia admitted, “and that’s why I need help. You all know how to lead your clans and I need any advice you can give me about how to handle this situation.” 

“Many of the clans still have not had much interaction with Skaikru. They have only heard the rumors from Trikru and Azgeda about the clan that has continued to cause trouble for the rest of us. If Skaikru can prove that they are willing to be a part of this new clan then they will have no trouble with Podakru” Ivan stated.

“How can we do that?” Kane asked. 

“Not isolating yourself in your quarters would be a good place to start” Ivan retorted. 

“So it’s settled then” Octavia declared. “Skaikru needs to prove to the other clans that they’re as committed to the survival of Wonkru as everyone else. There can’t be anymore prioritizing the survival of a certain clan.”


	11. Clarke-Day 93

Clarke woke up to the sight of Maddi sleeping on the opposite side of the cave. The young girl was still fairly shy around Clarke, but she seemed to at least tolerate the idea of trying to survive together. 

 

Trying to wake herself up Clarke stretched out her arms and cast aside the thin blanket that she’d thankfully remembered to pack with her. One of the unforeseen side effects of the end of the world was that the weather was constantly changing between being freezing and being incredibly humid.

 

When she went to pack her blanket back in her bag she grabbed her radio and headed outside. 

 

“Hey Bellamy. Things are okay, for right now at least. I’m still with Maddie, although I don’t know how much longer we can stay in this cave. Maddi was smart enough to choose a place that’s close to food and water, but Becca’s lab has so much more equipment and medicine. I’ll need to see if I can convince her to leave.”

 

Clarke paused and listened to the familiar sound of static that was there every time she tried to talk to Bellamy. 

 

“I think you would like her though. She kind of reminds me of Charlotte.”

 

She took a moment to remember the young girl from the Dropship. Both Maddi and Charlotte had that same cautious nature that made Clarke feel compelled to try to protect them.

 

In the end Bellamy and Clarke couldn’t save Charlotte, but she thought that this time she could help Maddi survive. 

 

“I hope you’re all doing okay up there. Hopefully by now you guys have some sort of work schedule set up and you’ve been able to plant the first round of food on Farm Station.”

 

Suddenly all Clarke could picture was her friends a few months in the future, starving without any sign of successfully grown crops. It was killing her to not know what was going on up there.

 

_ Bellamy won’t let anything bad happen to them _ , Clarke reminded herself.

 

“Anyway, I should let you get back to work. Although I’ll be pissed if I find out you and Raven have been doing all the work by yourselves” Clarke joked.

 

She swears she can almost hear Bellamy laughing from the other end of the radio.

 

***

 

Maddi is awake by the time she walks back to the cave. 

 

“Were you talking to your friend again?” she asked. 

 

“Yeah. I don’t know if he can actually hear me, but I think it helps to be able to pretend that I still know what’s going on with all of my friends up in space. That I know they’re safe.” 

 

“How did you end up down here anyways?”

 

Clarke hesitated. Neither of them had talked much about their past, they preferred to focus on the daily task of survival.

 

The only reason Maddi knew about Bellamy is because one night she’d been having a nightmare at the same time Clarke was talking on the radio.

 

They hadn’t brought up that night since it happened.

 

“My clan learned that only Nightbloods would be able to survive from all of the radiation” Clarke explained. “My mom made a serum that was supposed to turn people into Nightbloods, but we never had the chance to test it. When my friends and I were getting ready to go back to space I stayed behind to make sure they had power on the Ark. I didn’t know until after Praimfaya that my mom’s serum had made me resistant to the radiation.” 

 

“You were willing to die for your friends?”

 

“I was, I knew that I needed them to live more than I needed to live, if that makes sense. Although now I’m glad that there’s the chance I’ll see them again.”

 

Maddi nodded, as if she was trying to understand why Clarke would have felt so compelled to sacrifice herself for her friends.

 

Clarke hesitated for a second, debating on whether or not to ask Maddi how she had survived by herself. After looking at the young girl for a moment she thought better of it.

 

That was a conversation for another day.


	12. Bellamy-Day 150

Knowing that she was down there made Bellamy that much more eager to return to Earth. 

 

Each day he’d take the radio with him to whatever sector of the Ark he was working on. Of course that meant whoever he was with, usually either Raven or Monty, had to put up with him whenever he took a break to listen to Clarke’s daily call. 

 

Occasionally she’d bring up the other members of their little ragtag group in space, but for the most part she just talked to Bellamy. It made him feel like she was there with him, still able to offer him advice. 

 

“Hand me that wrench over there” Raven commanded from behind the Ark’s main control panel, breaking Bellamy out of his trance. 

 

“Sure thing your highness.”

 

“You joke, but I may have actually found a way to get us back to the ground after we get through our five years up here.”

 

“Seriously, already? We’ve been up here for about half a year. That’s impressive, even for you Raven.” 

 

“Believe it or not I technically got the idea from Jaha. Sinclair mentioned something about using an airlock to make it to the ground” Raven explained. 

 

“But if Jaha used the airlock already then what can we use?” Bellamy asked. 

 

“Jaha used the airlock that was used for executions,” Raven clarified, “we can use the airlock I used when I was a Zero-G mechanic. I can reactiviate the airlock through the control panel, but right now I’m having trouble figuring out what we can use instead of a missle.”

 

“Well we’ve got plenty of time to figure it out.”

 

“I think you mean  _ I’ve  _ got plenty of time to figure it out” Raven quipped. 

 

“You never know, maybe Emori and Murphy will take a break from playing house long enough to solve all our problems.”

 

“I still can’t believe how that happened. Although I have to admit, I think I prefer the slightly overprotective boyfriend version of Murphy to the hardened criminal version.”

 

“I don’t think anyone's going to disagree with you there” Raven laughed. 

 

They work in comfortable silence for a bit longer, Bellamy simply organizing their supplies and watching Raven as she messed around with various wires that confuse the heck out of Bellamy. 

 

Then Clarke’s voice came through on the radio. 

  
  


“Hey Bellamy, there’s not much to report today. The sky is starting to look a lot clearer, so I guess that’s something.”

 

Raven and Bellamy looked at eachother. There was no guarantee when it would be completely safe for them to go back to the ground, five years was just the estimated amount of time it would take for the radiation to mostly be gone.

 

But it sounded like Clarke could use any sort of hope she could get, and Bellamy just enjoyed hearing her seem happy.

 

Her calls were always slightly inconsistent. Some days she appeared to be happy, especially since she had found Maddi. However, there were other times when she seemed defeated. She’d sound worn out on the radio and talk about how alone she felt now that she’d been separated from her friends.

 

Bellamy didn’t like to think about the fact she didn’t know they could hear her. 

 

“Maddi caught a couple of fish today, she wanted me to tell everyone about it. For some reason she doesn’t think I’m crazy for talking to an old radio every single day. Although at this point I think I’ve told her so much about you, and everyone else, that she feels like she knows you.”

 

Bellamy already felt like he knew Maddi too.

 

“I hope you guys get to meet her someday. I think she’d like you.”

 

“I hope so too Clarke,” Bellamy said, clutching the radio and avoiding Raven’s sympathetic stare. 

 


	13. Clarke-Day 464

Clarke was prodded awake by Maddi’s sharp elbow jabbing her in the stomach. She had to shift to her side to alleviate the mild pain, but a smile still spread across her face when she woke up.

Over the course of the past year she and the younger girl had grown quite close. Clarke still wasn’t completely sure how Maddi had survived for so long on her own, and the young girl seemed reluctant to bring it up to, but she had started to slowly open up to Clarke about other things. 

Apparently her parents had been another pair of Grounders who disagreed with the practice of forcing Nightbloods to compete in a Conclave. When they found out that their own daughter was a Nightblood they decided to flee from their clan and the possibility of Maddi being taken away from them. 

However, instead of finding Luna and the rest of Flokru, they remained in the forest, hidden away from the rest of society. 

Clarke knew from Murphy and Emori’s stories of life on the run that it was difficult to stay out of the way of other Grounders. So Clarke didn’t know how Maddi’s parents had managed to keep her hidden for so long, but she was glad that they did.

* * *

“Morning” Clarke greeted Maddi when she finally woke up later in the day. 

Maddi simply grumbled in response. 

“We need to check all of our traps today” Clarke reminded Maddi, “so get ready to leave soon.”

“Okay, let me grab my gear” Maddi agreed, although her voice was faint and her words were slurred. There was also a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead that Clarke found alarming.

Clarke when to go check her temperature, pressing the back of her hand to Maddi’s forehead. 

Just as Clarke had feared, Maddi had a slight fever. 

“How are you feeling Maddi?” Clarke asked. 

“My head kinda hurts,” she admitted, “can you check the traps without me?”

“Yeah,” Clarke agreed, “I’ll come back and check on you as soon as I’m done.”

* * *

Clarke finished her work as quickly as she could. 

Although she knew a fever wasn’t the worst thing that could’ve happened, for some reason there was still that familiar sense of panic that Clarke had felt in the past whenever her and her friends had been in danger. 

Clarke had grown so used to taking care of the people around her that she was thrilled when she eventually found herself becoming Maddi’s caregiver. 

She had missed taking care of people in the ways that she had on the Ark and the early days on the ground. Not making life or death decisions but helping people stay alive. 

Clarke knew it was a slightly irrational fear, but she didn’t know if she could handle losing Maddi. 

Over the past year she’d come to think of Maddi as her responsibility to take care of, she couldn’t think of the possibility of screwing that job up. 

Before she entered the cave Clarke grabbed the radio from the rover.

While she always missed Bellamy whenever she tried to talk to him over the radio, this was the first time she could think of where she yearned for his assistance.

Not just to see him or talk to him, but to have them be a team again. 

He’d probably have a couple of stories about Octavia getting sick as a kid that would make Clarke feel better about the entire situation.

“Bellamy, I need your help” was all Clarke could manage to say when she turned the radio on.

* * *

When Maddi still wasn’t feeling better the next morning Clarke didn’t necessarily overreact, but she did demand that they take a trip to Becca’s lab.

“It shouldn’t take that long to get there, especially if we use the rover, and we can go back home as soon as we have everything we need” Clarke had promised her.

There was a decent amount of emergency supplies that Clarke had left behind there, and Clarke figured there had to be something to help Maddi recover.

Still, she knew Maddi was reluctant to leave the cave, it was likely the only sense of security she’d had when she’d been on her own.

So Clarke found herself driving the rover to the lab while Maddi took a nap in the backseat. Her face was flushed but at least it didn’t seem like her fever was getting any worse. She didn’t wake up until they were a couple of minutes away from their destination.

“We’re almost there” Clarke assured her. 

It was easy enough for Clarke to find everything she was looking for, she grabbed the remaining antibiotics and ibuprofen. Even if Maddi’s current illness didn’t require any serious medication, Clarke figured it couldn’t hurt to bring back a bunch of supplies just in case anything else happened.

“Here, take two of these” Clarke instructed when she handed Maddi the small white pills. 

Maddi did so without hesitation, trusting Clarke’s advice. 

On the way back to the cave the young girl was slightly more alert. While she wasn’t her usual active self, she was at least able to stay awake.

Granted, that could have been the result of Maddi getting restless after sleeping for about 30 hours in the past two days.

She was even able to give Clarke directions to the cave. While Clarke thought she had grown used to the terrain after the past couple of years she’d been on the ground, she clearly didn’t know as much as someone like Maddi, who had grown up in the area and was familiar with the land.

“If you turn to the right there should be a valley we can cut through. I remember my parents used to take me there every once and awhile to pick apples” Maddi mentioned wistfully.

“That sounds nice,” Clarke commented, hesitant to talk about Maddi’s parents. 

Sometimes she loved telling Clarke stories of what she remembered from her childhood. It sounded like although Maddi’s parents were on the run they made sure they could still give their daughter the happiest childhood they could have given the circumstances. 

Which is probably why most of the time when the subject came up Maddi would sort of shut down on Clarke.

Even though Clarke knew Maddi’s parents would want nothing more than for their daughter to survive, Clarke couldn’t help but wonder if Maddi felt guilty for outliving her parents, even if that was technically the way the world was supposed to work.

Not that the world had been particularly stable recently.

They drove in tentative silence for the remainder of the trip through the woods.

At least until Clarke stopped short at the edge of the valley, which stuck out like a sore thumb when compared to the surrounding area.

Unlike the rest of the forest, with its gray trees and brown grass, the valley was the brightest shade of green that Clarke had ever seen.

It was the first sign of life on Earth that Clarke had seen in over a year. 

"Do you think there's anyone else who knows this place exists?" Maddi asked Clarke.

Before she could respond a young man walked out of the clearing of the woods, aiming the crossbow that he carried at the back of the rover.

"Trust me, at least a couple of people do" he responded.


	14. Bellamy-Day 754

When he was originally growing up on the Ark Bellamy had enjoyed looking out the windows and staring at all the stars that surrounded him. When he was a little kid he’d loved learning about all of the different constellations and the stories that went along with them. 

At one point he’d even tried to teach Octavia about them, although she had never been as invested in the stars. She had always prefered thinking about the possibility of life on Earth.

Now, whenever Bellamy has time to take a break he likes to look back down at the Earth and imagine what his friends are doing down there. He knows it can’t be completely pleasant down in the bunker, but he hopes that they’re at least trying to have a good time. 

Because the reality is, as much as Bellamy hates that he can’t respond to Clarke over the radio, at least he can hear from her and know that she’s safe. 

He doesn’t have that with Octavia. 

So sometimes he likes to imagine what life might be like for her right now.

He likes to think that she’d be coming into her own as a leader, and although he knows it won’t be likely, he can’t help hoping that the choices she’ll have to face will be easy ones. 

They never were for him, and he knows what it’s like to be plagued by thoughts of what might have happened if he made a different choice. He never wanted that for Octavia.

But there’s nothing he can do for her from up in space, so all he can do is wait to get back home. 

* * *

It’s one of the days when Bellamy takes a break to stare out of one of the Ark’s windows that he sees a small ship out of the corner of his eye. 

At first he couldn’t make out what the writing on the side of the ship said. It was only as the ship came closer to the Ark that Bellamy was able to make out the words “Elegius-Prisoner Transport.” 

Bellamy bolted from his seat and raced down the hallway to find Raven talking with Monty. 

“Hey Raven, we might have a problem.” 

* * *

In less than ten minutes everyone had gathered in the old cafeteria to discuss the sudden arrival of the prisoners. 

“We’ve been up here for two years now, why haven’t we seen them before?” Monty questioned.

“I don’t know, right now our sensors aren’t picking up the ship even though it’s right in front of us. It’s as if someone was trying to hide them from the Ark” Raven explained to the rest of the group. 

“Is there any way for us to try to contact them?” Bellamy asked. 

“Probably, but I don’t know if we really want to try to contact a group of prisoners” Raven retorted. 

“Yeah, what good could a group of prisoners possibly do?” Murphy countered, rolling his eyes.

“I never thought I’d say this,” Harper stated, “but I agree with Murphy. It’s not like some of us weren’t arrested for completely arbitrary reasons. What’s the worst that could happen if we try to contact these guys?”

“That’s the thing though,” Raven disputed, “we don’t know what any of these people may have been arrested for.” 

“But if they have a ship there’s a chance we could convince them to help us get back to Earth” Monty pointed out. “We’ll have more knowledge about the land than they do, we could offer to help them adjust to Earth in exchange for sharing their ship with us.”

“There’s no way for us to figure that out right now” Bellamy declared. “So I say we take a vote on whether or not we think it’s worth the risk to try to contact this ship.” 

Nobody had anything to say against Bellamy’s idea, so he continued.

“Alright, all those in favor of trying to trying to contact these guys raise your hand.”

Everyone but Raven and Echo raised their hands.

“Okay,” Raven sighed in defeat, “I’ll try to get in contact with them.”

She didn’t sound happy about it though.

* * *

It turns out though that even if she had wanted to, Raven wasn’t able to connect their radio to the same satellite that was being used on the prisoners ship.

“I just don’t get it, it’s like these people don’t even exist. They aren’t showing up on the scanner, they aren’t connected to any sort of satellite, I can’t figure out how that ship has been able to support a bunch of prisoners for so long.”

“Maybe it hasn’t been” Bellamy tried to reason. “Maybe that ship has just been floating around in space for the last few decades without anyone alive to actually control it.”

“Maybe” Raven agreed, although she didn’t sound completely convinced.

“Don’t worry Reyes” Bellamy tried to reassure her. “We’ll figure something else out.”

Even if he didn’t necessarily believe his own words.


	15. Octavia-Day 979

Octavia knew she was in for bad news the moment she saw Indra, Kane, and Abbey huddled together in one of the hallways of the bunker. 

Indra and Kane had their moments together when they could cooperate for the sake of their people, but as far as Octavia knew Abbey was still trying to avoid Kane. 

Octavia didn’t know the entire story, but based on the way the former couple acted around each other she could tell Kane had done something to upset Abbey. 

There had to be something that explained the betrayed look she got on her face whenever she was in the same room as Kane. 

“We need to talk” Indra bluntly stated, ignoring the awkwardness of the situation. 

“What’s going on?” Octavia questioned. The insistent tone of Indra’s voice was slightly intimidating, even to Octavia, who had spent the past few years befriending the accomplished warrior. 

“A few of Jaha’s followers are threatening to tell the Grounders about our plan to lock everyone else out of the bunker” Abbey explained. “They’re claiming that because you were our champion in the Conclave it wasn’t technically your right to give the bunker away even if you were the winner. Now they want control over the bunker. Apparently they aren’t happy with the way things have been running.”

“And what has Jaha been doing about this?”

“Jaha has been laying low for the most part,” Kane clarified “I know he’s usually been more vocal about his distrust of the Grounders in the past, but he hasn’t been stopping any of this either. I don’t know what’s been going on with him.” 

Octavia recalled the sight of a young boy running through one of the hallways, waiting while Jaha struggled to catch up with him. 

“I think I know how to try to talk with him” Octavia said. “I just need some time to reason with him.”

* * *

Just like she thought she would, Octavia was able to find Jaha in the rec room with Ethan. 

Jaha noticed her presence before Ethan did. Meeting her eyes he gestured for her to wait a moment and leaned down to talk to the boy beside him.

“I’ll be right back” he assured Ethan, who had turned to play with one of his friends. 

Turning his attention to Octavia, Jaha regained his usual dignified demeanor. “What can I help you with?” he asked her. 

Octavia tried not to let it bother her that he automatically assumed that she needed something from him. Or that he was right. 

“Have you heard anything about the Arcadians trying to take over the bunker?” she questioned. 

“No, I hadn’t,” Jaha responded, “although it wouldn’t surprise me if people were finally responding to the claustrophobic atmosphere of this bunker.”

“Considering you were the one who initially helped orchestrate two separate plans to take over the bunker, forgive me, but I feel justified in asking if you were involved. And I also feel okay about asking you to help me fix this mess.”

“Why would I do that?”

“We’re trapped in this bunker for another three years, do you really want Ethan growing up in a war zone?”

“I think I wouldn’t have to make that decision if you hadn’t kicked his father out of the bunker.”

“You’re talking as though Skaikru were the only people making sacrifices. All of the other clans had to choose the same number of members to survive as well, everyone in this bunker knows what it’s like to make sacrifices for the sake of survival.”

“We wouldn’t have had to make those sacrifices if we had been able to keep the bunker to ourselves. You didn’t need to offer to share it with the other clans after the Conclave, it was rightfully ours!”

“It was rightfully mine!” Octavia argued back. “I was the one who risked my life, I was the one who outlasted everyone else, and I was the one who won the Conclave!” 

“So you decided to condem your own people?” Jaha questioned, the fury in his voice almost palpable. 

“You were never my people” Octavia muttered through gritted teeth. “I’ve never really belonged to Skaikru, and I guess I’ve never really been a Grounder either. So no, I didn’t feel the need for any specific group to survive, I thought it would be better if we could find a way to live together.”

“I don’t know if that will ever be possible.”

“It might be if you help me. Some of these people still look up to you, if you tell them to stand down they’ll listen to you” Octavia pleaded.

Jaha hesitated for a minute, and Octavia thought he was going to refuse her offer. As the seconds dragged on she could feel a sense of dread washing over her. 

“I’ll help you” Jaha agreed. “We’ve lost enough as it is, and I suppose I wouldn’t mind a few more years of peace.”

“Thank you” Octavia sighed in relief.

There was a chance she might actually be able to fix this predicament. 

* * *

By the time Octavia made it back to the office with Jaha in tow she was greeted by the defeated faces of Kane and Indra. 

“What happened?” Octavia asked, even though she regretfully already knew the answer. 

“The clans have all found out that we tried to lock them out of the bunker” Kane explained, looking older and more worn down than Octavia had ever seen him. “Nobody has made any official moves yet, but the Grounders likely aren’t going to let the transgression slide.”

“Alright then” Octavia prepared herself, trying to sound more confident than she really felt. “We need to get ready to fight.”


	16. Octavia-Day 1003

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a brief warning that the end of this chapter does include some brief mentions of violence.

Octavia didn’t know what she’d expected to happen when she claimed the bunker, but it certainly hadn’t been this.

While the Arkadians and Grounders had always had their differences, she’d hoped that the end of the world would have helped heal old wounds. Instead it had only seemed to divide everyone further. 

It turns out one of the hundred members of Skaikru, Anderson, felt that the Arkadians had been cheated out of extra spots in the bunker. He kept telling everyone from Skaikru that they were doing most of the work and their champion had been the one to win the bunker in the first place, so he kept claiming that Skaikru needed to revolt. 

Anderson had been successfully able to convince most of the Arkadians to at least listen to his arguments, but from what Ocativa could tell he was still waiting to make a move. 

That just meant she had to be the one to strike first. 

Octavia knew she couldn’t turn to Kane or Abbey for help. Their biggest weakness was that they both prioritized their people over anything else. While they might not like the situation with Anderson, they wouldn’t want Octavia to do anything to put the rest Arkadia in danger. 

No, she would require Indra’s help to do what she needed to do. 

* * *

When Octavia found her she was guarding the doors of the dining hall. It was one of the few places where members of all of the clans were constantly forced to interact with each other, so it constantly had guards positioned in and out of the dining hall to prevent any potential fights. 

But at the moment Octavia needed to bend the rules. 

“Indra, I need your help with something” she told the older woman. 

“What do you need?” Indra asked. Her demeanor remained as stoic as ever, but Octavia knew how loyal Indra was to the people she believed in. She would assist Octavia with her potentially insane plan.

“How long are you on guard duty for?” 

“Three more hours” Indra replied. 

“I need you to let all of the other guards know to lock the doors in the next fifteen minutes. And no matter what you hear I don’t want anyone to interfere.”  
Indra nodded in agreement, but Octavia could tell she wanted to ask further questions. 

Octavia took over Indra’s spot for a few minutes to give her a chance to notify the other guards. When she returned Octavia made her way into the dining hall. 

As she’d expected Anderson was there, surrounded by his supporters. They had practically taken over the dining hall, Octavia could only see a handful of Grounders who dared to eat in the same room as a bunch of hostile Arkadians. 

Which meant she wouldn’t have much backup if she needed it. 

“Anderson” Octavia called out, forcing everyone in the room to turn their attention towards her. “I think it’s time we had a talk.” 

“You sure about that? You seem to prefer making decisions and then forcing the rest of us to live with the consequences” he said gruffly. 

Reaching for the machete she kept at her side, Octavia took a few steps forward to bring herself closer to Anderson. 

Octavia placed her machete the crook of Anderson’s neck. 

“I’m going to talk and everyone else is going to listen” she said. 

Anderson tried to move away, but with a simple flick of her wrist Octavia was able to knick his right cheek.

A few of the Arkadians who had been previously talking to Anderson attempted to get up and help him, but the guards in the room intervened. They surrounded the crowd and gave Octavia the chance to continue.

The silence in the room felt stifling to Octavia, but she knew that she needed to shut down any potential rebellions before they started.

“You will live with the rest of us in this bunker, and honor the sacrifices others made for you to get here,” Octavia said, “or you will die knowing that everything you did for the sake of survival you did in vain.”

“Why should we answer to you?” Anderson asked.

Octavia hesitated for a second, but she knew if she didn’t follow through with her threat she would never be able to convince the others to listen to her. 

So she cut Anderson’s throat with her machete and watched him fall to the floor while grasping his neck.   
She turned to address Anderson’s former followers. “You can live with the rest of us or you can die with him.”

When Octavia went to exit the room she tried not to look at the faces of the Arkadians, how they feared her and seemed repulsed by her. 

After the 100 had landed on the Ground Octavia had disagreed with several of the choices Clarke and Bellamy had made. From Clarke’s willingness to let Tondc get bombed to Bellamy’s decision to support Pike. 

Her confrontation with Anderson had helped Octavia realize that they had done what they needed to survive, to protect the people under their care.

Now it was her turn.


	17. Bellamy-Day 1894

The rational part of Bellamy knew that if he had made it five years trapped in space again, then another couple of months weren’t going to kill him. However, the part of Bellamy that was officially tired of the glorified tin can he lived in was more than ready to go home. 

Which explained his frustration when Raven mention that she still didn’t have a definite solution for the engine that they needed to get back to Earth. 

They were all crowded over the kitchen counter, everyone bumping into each other as they reluctantly tried to finish another round of algae soup. No matter how hungry Bellamy was he didn’t think he would ever be able to crave a bowl of the slimy substance, not after Earth, where they had been able to grow fresh fruits and vegetables and hunt for meat.

Still, he supposed it was better than starving.

“I could try to use the system that runs the algae station, but it may not be powerful enough” she explained. “Besides, if it doesn’t work that means we’re stuck here without any source of food.”

“Well, I for one am all for not starving to death” Murphy quipped, but Bellamy could tell he was truly bothered by the idea of all of them slowly wasting away on the Ark. 

Clarke had mentioned that he’d been trapped in the lighthouse for several months before he had to deal with Jaha, A.L.I.E, and the City of Light. Based on what she had told Bellamy it sounded like the experience had really taken a toll on Murphy. 

“What about the lighting system? If it has enough power to generate the Ark it should be able to fuel our makeshift rocket” Monty pointed out. 

“That’s what I was initially thinking,” Raven said, “except the lighting system appears to be connected to the same system that filters out oxygen. So again, I can try to work on it, but that would likely just result in our imminent death. 

Everyone stood in solemn silence for a moment. They had spent so much time waiting for the five year time limit to pass by that no one had wanted to consider the possibility that they wouldn’t automatically be able to return to Earth. 

Emori and Echo in particular looked distressed at the idea of living in space even longer. 

Bellamy knew that Emori loved Murphy, that she had agreed to their plan not only for the sake of survival but to stay with him, but it still had to be rough to be away from what had once been the only home she had known.

From what Bellamy could understand she hadn’t had a particularly pleasant childhood, however Bellamy knew that she had managed to make a decent life for herself and her brother by scavenging for spare parts of technology. It couldn’t have been easy for her to leave her former home behind.

Then there was Echo. 

She had always been devoted to the Ice Nation, would have done anything for the sake of her people. Even betray Bellamy after he had saved her life. Her devotion to her clan, though, that was ultimately her downfall. 

While she had definitely gone too far by cheating for the Ice Nation in the Conclave, Bellamy couldn’t help but feel some sympathy for her. He knew what it was like to make regrettable choices for the sake of his people, only to realize he had crossed a line. 

The quiet atmosphere soon was interrupted by the sound of an alarm, which caused everyone at the table to turn to Raven and Bellamy, ready to receive orders. 

“Someone’s trying to board the ship” Raven said. “We need to get to the main gate now.”

In a panic they all did as Raven instructed, running towards the main gate of the ship, cautious of whatever they would find when they got there.

* * *

Bellamy didn’t know what he had expected to see, but it wasn’t Elegius. Raven had already written off the ship because it had seemed to be deserted when Raven had tried to contact it. 

Apparently they were wrong about that, because the ship had connected to the Ark and a tall blonde woman was walking out to meet them. 

“Is there any way for us to block them out of the ship?” Harper asked Raven.

“There is, I just need to enter the right commands into the control center. That means I’ll need you guys to distract her while I go save our asses.”

Everyone did as they were told and went over to meet the woman standing on the other side of the door.

She didn’t appear to have any weapons, but Harper and Murphy drew their guns as a precaution. They didn't know her, and the fact that she a been kept on the Elegius ship meant she was likely dangerous.

Bellamy had a feeling that criminals responsible for petty crimes weren’t banished to the emptiness of space.

“Hello,” she said “my name is Charmaine Diyoza. I was one of the passengers on Elegius. I apologize for the sudden notice, but we heard that you were looking for us.” 

Despite all of the pleasantries, Bellamy couldn’t help but feel like there was something off about Charmaine. She seemed nice, but in a very forced way, as though she had practiced what to say to them.

“We were, but that was a couple of years ago if I remember correctly” Bellamy responded. What took you so long?” 

“We hadn’t woken up yet. We’ve been in hypersleep for the past 100 years. Otherwise we would have responded to your call. I’m sure you’re as desperate as we are to get back to Earth as we are.”

“I’m sure” Bellamy said. At that moment Raven returned from the computer, nodding to Bellamy from the opposite end of the hallway to signal that she had completed her task.

“So what do you say, will you let me in so we can start making plans?”

“I’m afraid we can’t do that, the ship isn’t authorized to let anyone else onboard.”

“What a pity,” exclaimed Charmaine, “I had hoped you would have been willing to cooperate with us. Although I suppose that will just mean there will be more resources for us once we make it to the ground.”

“Excuse me?” Bellamy responded.

“We thought it would be in everyone’s best interest to work together. Considering you apparently aren’t interested, we don’t need you complicating our plans of getting to Earth.”

“We won’t, we just don’t think it’s in our best interest to work with you” Bellamy said.

“Trust me, I understand why you would hesitate to work with a group of prisoners” Charmaine said, but the smirk on her face made it sound like she was making some sort of joke.

Although Bellamy knew that she couldn’t have known about their life on the ground, he couldn’t fight the feeling that she knew more about them than she was supposed to.

“However,” Charmaine continued, “it makes no sense for us to allow you to make it to Earth if you’re not going to help us, you’d only be a drain on resources.”  
“How are you going to stop us if you can’t make it to Earth yourself?” Murphy joked.

Charmaine simply grinned for a minute before the doors opened and she was able to board the Ark.

Murphy and Harper immediately raised their weapons, ready to shoot on Raven or Bellamy’s orders.

“How did you do that?” Raven demanded as she left the hallway.

“What, a ship full of prisoners in space and you thought we wouldn’t have a hacker or two on our side?” Charmaine said condescendingly as she raised her own gun. “Now I’m willing to bet that I’m a better shot than either of you two, so I’d suggest lower your weapons.“

They both turned to Bellamy, clearly unsure of what to do. Realizing that he had no idea how dangerous Charmaine could potentially be, he signaled for them to put their guns down.

“My job was simply to distract you while they hacked into your control system” Charmaine explained. Maybe if you agreed to our terms we wouldn’t have had to take such extreme measures, but I suppose we’ll never know.”

The rest of the prisoner filed out of the ship when she spoke, each them armed and seemingly more than willing to shoot at the slightest offence.

“Now, show us where the rest of your weapons and supplies are. I’m assuming it will take us some time to find a suitable place to live on Earth, so we’ll need some resources to get us started.”

“Alright,” Bellamy reluctantly agreed, “as long as you guarantee you won’t hurt anyone on this ship.”

“As long as you don’t try anything stupid that shouldn’t be a problem” said Charmaine.

He led the prisoners to there storage closet. There wasn’t much there, just a few more guns, some spare walkie talkies that they didn’t need, and about a weeks worth of dry food that they had been saving in case of an emergency. 

“That’s everything” Bellamy said, hoping that they wouldn’t feel the need to search the entire Ark. 

Of course they did, so Bellamy spent the better part of two hours supervising the prisoners who were searching for any valuable they could potentially get their hands on. By the time they finished everyone on the Ark was fed up with the prisoners, who were not only taking their belongings but also wasting their time. Everyone was on edge as the prisoners finally started to leave, and all Bellamy could think about was how much he wanted them off of the Ark.

As if she could hear his thoughts Charmaine turned to him and said “Trust me, this could have ended much worse for you and your friends.”

“It also could have ended a lot better” Bellamy replied, waiting anxiously for her to board Elegius.

“Well hopefully you’ll never have to see us again” she said as the door closed behind her.

* * *

Dinner that night was a solemn affair. Almost everyone just grabbed a bowl of algae soup and went back to their respective rooms.

Only Bellamy and Raven remained in the kitchen, unsure of what to say to one another.

It was Raven who broke first. “I’m sorry about today. I didn’t even consider the possibility that they would hack our system, which was stupid of me. I know I was technically supposed to be the brains of the operation up here and I can’t help but feel like I failed that responsibility today.”

“You weren’t the one who let them walk right onto our ship and take everything” Bellamy reassured her. 

“You did what you thought would help us survive.”

“I know, but I still can’t help but think about what I could have done differently.”

“That’s not going to help us get back to Earth” said Raven.

“Let me guess, Reyes, you’re already concocting some brilliant revenge plot?”

“You know it” Raven said with a grin. Bellamy couldn’t help but smile.

They might have suffered a blow today, but tomorrow they would have to recover. They had work to do.


	18. Clarke-Day 2199

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything in italics is directly from the show.

The sunlight woke Clarke from her resting place in the clearing. She and Maddi had spent the past couple of years there with a group of a few other survivors. As long as they helped out at the settlement by bringing back food and Clarke acted as a doctor for everyone else they were allowed to stay there.

 

_ “Here we go again”  _ she mumbled to herself in an attempt to brace herself for the day. A task that had grown increasingly difficult each day since it had officially become safe for her friends and her mother to return to the ground.

 

_ “Bellamy, if you can hear me, if you’re alive, it’s been 2199 days since Praimfaya”  _ Clarke said. Even though she knew he couldn’t hear her, talking to Bellamy had become some sort of solace for Clarke. _ “I don’t know why I still do this every day, maybe it’s my way of staying sane. Not forgetting who I am, who I was.” _

 

Clarke hesitated for a moment, not sure if she wanted the answer to this question even if she could hear it.  _ “It’s been safe for you to come down for over a year now, why haven’t you?” _

 

As always, Clarke’s mind raced with various possibilities, each more gruesome than the last. Maybe when they left she hadn’t turned the electricity on properly and they all died of oxygen deprivation. Or Monty hadn’t been able to get the algae station working and they all starved to death. Or something happened that made all of them turn on eachother. 

 

Each of these were scenarios that Clarke thought about each day, and it never got any easier for her to think about it.

 

_ “The Bunker’s gone silent too”  _ Clarke added, knowing that Bellamy would want an update on Octavia. _ “We tried digging them out for a little while but there was too much rubble. I haven’t made contact with them either.” _

 

_ “Anyway,”  _ Clarke continued, _ “I still have hope. Tell Raven to aim for the one spot of green and you’ll find me. The rest of the planet from what I’ve seen basically sucks, so…”  _ Clarke paused.

 

She heard a familiar humming sound, and her suspicions were quickly confirmed when she saw the ship flying above the trees of the clearing. 

 

_ “Nevermind, I see you.” _

 

Clarke raced to the Rover to wake Maddi, who was constantly asking when she would get to meet Clarke’s friends.

 

When Clarke entered the Rover she smiled at the sight of Maddi buried under the covers. As much as she had missed her friends, her life would be so much different if she hadn’t met Maddi, who had helped keep Clarke sane for the past six years.  _ “Hey my little Nightblood. It’s time to wake up.” _

 

_ “No lessons today”  _ Maddie sleepily protested. It took a moment for her to register the sound of the ship. When she did she practically jumped out of the bed.

 

_ “It took you long enough”  _ Clarke teased, motioning for Maddi to follow her outside.

 

Lost in her own excitement, Clarke didn’t notice that anything was off until Maddi mentioned,  _ “I thought you said the ship was small.” _

 

Granted, Clarke didn’t know what insane plan Raven had come up with to get back to Earth, but she highly doubted that even Raven was capable of procuring a brand new ship in the middle of space.

 

_ “Maddi, go get my rifle”  _ Clarke commanded. _ “Now!” _

 

Maddi did as she was instructed, quickly bringing Clarke her gun.

 

_ “We’re here! We’re here!”  _ Maddi shouted, not yet understanding the seriousness of the situation. 

 

_ “Get down”  _ Clarke whispered, guiding the younger girl to the forest floor.  _ “Get back to the Rover, get it out of sight, and load the guns.” _

 

_ “All of them?”  _ Maddi questioned.

 

_ “Go!”  _ Clarke urged. She didn’t know who these knew people were, but Clarke would try as hard as she possibly could to keep them away from Maddi.

 

She waited to make sure that Maddi was back in the Rover before she studied the ship. It was certainly larger than the rocket that her friends had left in, but that wasn’t what bothered Clarke the most. It was the words written on the side of the ship.

 

Eligius Corporation: Prisoner Transportation. 

  
  



End file.
